Scotch Whisky
Whisky made in Scotland, referred to as Scotch, is one of the most popular types of whisky in the world. By law, it must be distilled to no more than 189.6 proof and produced from a mixture of water, cereal grains, and malt, with the only allowed additives being water and caramel coloring. Scotch must be aged in oak casks in Scotland at a licensed warehouse for a minimum of three years, but, unlike bourbon or rye, those casks can, and almost always are, used barrels instead of new ones. Scotch is separated into five categories, one of which is required to be displayed on the label: Single Malt (100% malt barley from a single distillery), Single Grain (all grain spirit from a single distillery), Blended Grain (grain whiskies from multiple distilleries), Blended Malt (a blend of single malts), and Blended Scotch (a blend of malt and grain whiskies). The malt used to make Scotch can be dried by fire from with compacted vegetation called peat, which imparts a unique flavor on the final product. (This type of Scotch is most common on island regions, particularly Islay.) There are five whisky-producing regions in Scotland, each with its own style and character: Lowlands, Highlands, Speyside, Islay, and Campbeltown.
Top Scotch Whisky Posts:
A Tour of Scotland: Understanding Scotch Whiskies
Touring Scotch Whisky Distilleries in Speyside, Scotland
Drinking Scotch with The Dalmore’s Richard Paterson
Whiskies of Glen Grant with Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm
The use of barrels toasted with hot volcanic rocks are, believe it or not, not a new idea, as Dewar’s dropped a magma-toasted barrel bottling last year. That’s not going to dull our enthusiasm for this release from Talisker, though, which at 47 years of age is the oldest distillery release to date and one…
If you remember that Sean Connery played Indiana Jones’s father, then the idea of Harrison Ford stumping for Scotchmaker Glenmorangie makes more sense than you might think. Now the spokesperson for the brand, and the star of a series of ads for the whisky, Ford is putting his stamp on the liquid itself with his…
There’s no whisky company that loves special releases more than Diageo, and for summer 2026, it’s bringing us a brand new series of ultra-rare offerings to salivate over. The new Diageo Rare & Exceptional Series is awfully precious: It’s only going to be sold through Diageo’s Private Client network, not standard retail channels. The inaugural…
The GlenDronach has been making whisky since 1826. To celebrate its bicentennial, the historic distillery has released (in very limited supply) its oldest expression to date: The GlenDronach Aged 56 Years. True to form for the Highland producer, this whisky certainly leans into sherry maturation, having spent its entire life across Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez…
Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte brand hits a milestone with this latest release — at 18 years old it’s the oldest expression of Port Charlotte the distillery has ever released. It’s made with 100% Scottish barley but features a complicated barreling regimen, outlined below. Let’s give it a whirl. Update: In 2025 the whisky was reissued in…
11 year old expressions of Lagavulin have historically come with one man’s name attached: Nick Offerman. All four of the Offerman Edition Lagavulins have been 11 year old offerings, and no others that we’ve tasted. Lagavulin 11 Years Old Sweet Peat isn’t a one-off but a new permanent expression, aged completely in first-fill ex-bourbon casks.…
Hot on the heels of its 15 year old Cask Strength edition, Diageo has launched another Oban expression… and it’s another 15 year old. While the Cask Strength release was finished in sherry casks, this one’s done in Port (though at 52.1% abv, it’s not far from the proof of the cask strength expression). Turns…
Kilkerran, like many other Campbeltown whiskies, owes its existence to the late Hedley Wright. The fifth-generation scion of the whisky-making Mitchell family resurrected the single malt’s parent distillery, Glengyle, in 2004 after nearly 80 years of absence. Of the many dead Campbeltown distilleries to bring back to life, why Glengyle? It probably helped that the…
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em? Johnnie Walker‘s latest blend, Black Cask, is inspired by that most Scottish of spirits: Bourbon. While standard Black Label is aged in a variety of barrels, including American and European oak, Black Cask uses only American ex-bourbon oak in the mix. While it’s actually white oak, the name…
Since we started keeping up with Smokehead a few years back, the heavy metal-inspired, Islay whisky brand from Ian Macleod Distillers has eschewed conventional age-statements in favor of a lineup more focused on unique cask finishings. In fact, age statements have never really been Smokehead’s thing with the one notable exception of an 18-year-old limited edition…